Improved hop-press



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Wee-es r 5 MIERS CORYELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

V v Letters .Patent No. 86,215, [lated Janna/ry 26, 1869.

IIWPROVED HOP-PRESS.

The Schedule referred te in these Letters iatent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it muy concern;

Be it known that I, Minus GORYELL, of the city,

county, and State of New York, have invented certaiu he object of my invention is to provide brewers with an effective press for expressing the liquid from hops after they have been boiled. l

Hps, after boiling, hold a large amount of liquid in their pores, and '1t is desirable that this should be expressed as'rapidly as possible, and by means only of the workmen who have to be present for other purposes; because, if the work be not done rapidly, the hops are apt to deteriorate or sour, and if extra workmen have to be engaged for this special purpose, the cost of labor to the brewer more than compensates the gain resulting from pressing the hops. Hops, when put into the press, lie loosely, and oppose a slight resistance to pressure, but, as the pressure increases, they become more and more compacted. On the other hand, the effective power that can be conveniently relied upon in a brewery for the purpose of working the press does not vary, being generally the power of the two workmen who are required for other purposes.

I have therefore devised a screw-press to be worked by two men', and containing such a combination of mechanical devices, that when-the hops are irst put into the press, the screw can be turned with great speed, so as to apply the pressure rapidly; and as the resistance to pressure increases, the screw can be turned by the same men more slowly, but with greater force, so as to adapt the force to the resistance, and tin ally, as the hops approach their greatest state of compression, and consequently oppose the greatest resist-ance to pressure, that the screw may be turned by the same men still slower, but with very great force, so as to apply the utmost force which the two men are capable of exerting under the circumstances; also, that after pressure the platenmay be rapidly withdrawn from thecake of compressed hops.

I have also devised convenient means of removing the platen from over the press-chamber,to permit the latter to be conveniently filled, without the'necessity of raising the platen materially above the top of thc presschamber; also, means of cleansing the passages for the expressed liquid in the bed of the press.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe apress embodying all my improvements, and will refer to the accompanying drawings thereof, and to the letters and figures marked there- Figure 1 being an elevation of the front of the press. Figure 2 being a side view of it, with certain portions removed to p -rmit the construction to be understood. Figure 3 being a plan oi' the bed-plate of the press, and.

Figure 4 being a transverse section of the same.

Figures 5 and 6 being sectional views of detached parts of .the press, and

Figure 7 being ,a view of the endless worm and its yoke,

'lhe press has a bed-plate, A, surrounded by a rim, B, to prevent the escape of the expressed liquor, and fitted with a pipe, C, for its discharge.

The press-chamber D is mounted upon the bed-plate, and is composed of four sides, a a', a af, connected at the corners by ears b and rods c c', so that two of said' sides, c a', may be readily loosed from the others (by pulling ont the rods) for the purpose of getting access to and removing the compressed cake.

In order to facilitate the opening ofthe press-chamber, sill-plates d are placed beneath the lower ends of the two side a' a', which may be opened, so that their lower ends are above the rim of the bed-plate, and that when the sides are loosed at one corner of the chamber, they may be swung open like doors. These sides of the chamber are formed with slots or openings in them, which afford a free exit for the expressed liquor.

TheY platen E of the lpress is constructed to slide up and down in the press-chamber. It is perforated, to permit the liquor to pass through it, and it is moved by means of the press-screw F, which passes upwards through the head G of the press, and is prevented from turning therein by a stationary feather, f, that is received in a longitudinal groove or slot formed in the screw, so that the screw can slide through the head G- witbout turning. The head G vis secured to the Abed A of the press by standards-I I, and contains the screwnut J, which is turned for the purpose of depressing or raising the screw F and platen E.

In order that the screw-nut may be turned as required, it is fitted with a bevelled wheel, K, and with a worm-wheel, L. The former gears into a bevelled pinion, M, which is mounted upon a shaft, N, to which a large hand-wheel, O, is secured; the rim of said wheel being fitted with spokes h h, so that two men may readily apply all the force theycan exert to it.

' In order that the platen may be depressed and raised rapidly, a crank-handle, g, is applied to the hand-wheel O, at a short distance from its centre, so that one man may run the bevelled pinion round rapidly, the handwheel O then acting as a iiy-wheel to equalize the motion, and apply the force accumulated` by its -rotation to the pressing of the material.

In order to obtain thegreatest force, a worm, P, is provided, to engage with the teeth of the worm-wheel L, `and this worm is mounted upon a shaft, to which two cranks, R R, arelsecured, for the purpose of turn-` ing it.

The worm-shaft passes through eccentric-bearin gs m au, by turning which the worin may either be engaged with or disengaged from the worm-wheel, and these bearings are connectedl by a yoke, S, so that they may be movedv simultaneously.

In 'order that the passages for liquid in the bed of l the press may be readily cleansed, the press-chamber is fitted with a false bottom, composed of sections 'l T-l T, which are perforated to permit the passage of liquor, and are formed with legs or ledges that raise' them above the. face of the bed, so as to form passages for the liquor. v Y

As the bottom is in sections, the weight of each piece to be handled is not great; consequently the bottom may be readily removed for cleansing.-

In order that the platen may be readily got out of the way during the charging of the press-chamber, it is not'xed to the press-screw F, but is connected with a head, lr, at-the lower end thereof, by two. wing-plates s s. Moreover, a rail, U, of the same width as-the head of the screw, issecured to the head, G, ofthe press, with one-of its ends opposite saidscrew-head 1- when the .platen is raised clear ofthe press-chamber. Consequently, at this timethe platenv may be shoved laterally oif the screw-head and on to the rail U, (as represented in red lines in iig. 2 leaving the upper end of the press-chamber openlfor the reception of the hops.

The mode of using this press is as follows:

The press-screw being raised, the worml disengaged vfrom the worm-wheel, and the platen E being upon the rail U, the hops are quickly shovelled into the presschamber, after which the platen is shoved back over the chamber and engaged with the screw-head. As

soon as this is done, one or both of a hand to the crank-handleg, O

the workmen apply and turn the hand-Wheel rapidly, thus screwing down thel platen with speed;

' and this operation is continued until the hand-wheel stopsby reason ofthe resistance of the hops to pressure; Then both Workmen apply their hands to 'thes'pokes h h of the hand-wheel O, and turn it until the resistance to the descent of the platen becomes as great as the force they can' exert; Yand as these spokes are furtherfrom the centre ofthe wheel than the crank-handle,

- the force applied to the screw is greater, and the screw is depressed more slowly. AFinally the worm P is thrown into gear with the worm-wheel L by moving the yoke S, and the workmen, applying their hands to the cranks R It, apply the greatest force which the press is capable 0f exerting. After the hops are thus pressed, the worm is thrown out of gear, andv a workman, applying his handto the crank-handle-g, and raises the platen, so that it may be'slid off on to the rail. Then one or both the movable sides chamber are op\ fied, the cake is removed, and the presschamber is reclosed, ready for another operation.- The press has thus three speeds, and either speed may be readily used, as required by the conditions of tbe Work being performedA while the construction ofthe movable platen Wand its rail, and Wthe construction chamber','enable the charging and discharging to be performed rapidly, and the construction of the bottom of the press-chamber enables the liquor-passages to be cleansed with facility. Y

The hand-wheel. O is of course set at theproper distance from the press-screw to permit the platen E to be moved from over the press-chamber, but the dimensions of the drawings do not permit the entire shaft N to be shown.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

-1.. The combination ofthe platen, press-screw, Wormwheel, worm, worm-yoke, and eccentric-bearings, bevelled wheels, and hand-wheel, substantially as before set forth.'

2. Also, the combination of the removable platen, press-screw, and rail, to liold the platen when disengaged from said screw, substantially as before set forth. Q 3. Also, the combination ofthe following instrumentalities, viz, the bed-plate, press-chamber, with removable sides, removable platen, press-screw, platen-rail, worm-Wheel and Worm, bevelled wheels,- and handwheel, substantially as before set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my hand, this 7th day of Oetober,.A. D. 1867.

' MIERS CORYELL. Witnesses:

EDMD. P'. Roenes, HERMAN WINTER.

runs the screw rapidly up, l

ofthe pressof the press-1 

